How do I find out why I went to SEN school.

[Youagain2025]

When i was a child 8 or maybe nine. I'm quite sure it was year 3? I jointed a school for children with moderate learning difficulties. I was not told why and I never questioned it. I feel like there's a big chunk that i don't know about myself. I'm not sure if things were done differently on the mid 80s like what would have been done to decide i needed to ho to a special needs school. I guess there were not ehcps back then ? I have read GP would have had records. Why would a GP have records about my schooling ? I read that i can ask for a SARS? But it said something about knowing the dates and what it is im looking for . I'm not even 100% on the dates. And I'm not sure how to word what I'm looking for.

You said "hospitals I believe, destroy records after so many years"

You didn't seem to actually know as you said "I believe". So I confirmed it for you and gave information on how many years.

Not sure why you seem to be annoyed by that.

It could be now . When I was there wasn't told anything about autism. It looks like it may be the same school but its moved as the road name was woodside road. I just looked it up and the building is still there .

Unless you had problems with hearing or vision and your difficulties were mild, I don’t think the GP will have much to offer. Worth a try though.

I’m not annoyed but the way I read ot was like you was trying to say that what I said was wrong. Yes hospitals and clinics do destroy records because all information will have been sent by them to a patient’s GP, you are correct but I was replying to someone who said they’d tried to get copies of their clinical records and was told they’d been destroyed so I just explained that hospital records may be destroyed but never GP records.

There will be a process as part of the Data Protection Policy, usually a form you submit to practice manager at gp surgery or via the hospital/service provider as a DSAR (Data Subject Access Request). Bear in mind there may be multiple different agencies involved in your care which have separate notes(although most will send summary letters to gp). NHS app holds recent notes and is gradually being updated historically.

My ex husband went to one for a couple of years because he was "acting out" and they believed his brothers influence would help him (his brother has sen and attended the school) that was in the 80s so there was a low bar in some areas he came out into mainstream secondary though he wasn't the brightest intellectually so it wasn't that much of a stretch to put him there for support for a couple of years it was mostly a catch up emotional reset for him after his parents traumatic divorce

I'm an older Mumsnetter and have lived in Norwich all my life, I've known several children who went to Parkside. I think that in the past it was for moderate learning difficulties and now they concentrate on children with more severe needs.
It's always been considered a friendly school in these parts and I think it might be worth just picking up the phone and giving them a ring and asking for some advice, if they can't help you they might be able to tell you the right first step to take. Wishing you lots of luck as you sort this out.

OP, ask your GP if you can see your medical records. Your medical records should go back to your childhood and may indicate an issue that led to you being statement and going to an SEN school. I have a learning-disabled cousin who, like you, was taken out of mainstream schooling after a couple of years and moved into a special needs school for the rest of his education. He lived for most of his life with his mother and when she died he needed a lot of support. He gave me permission to look through his medical records and act as his advocate. His medical records gave no specific diagnosis but it was suspected that he had a low IQ and there were concerns about his ability to communicate. There was also mention of autism, although when he was a child the understanding of autism was quite limited and he was never formally assessed.

Recent tests have revealed a number of issues including autism and dyspraxia as well as a low IQ, and that has made it easier for me to get him the help he needs.

I wish you luck with your search.

This was my thought as well.

Hopefully i can find something i would really love to to know.

You maybe able to find out if you were on-roll but a school is unlikely to hold any detailed records from so long ago. Most things were paper based back then and not held electronically.

i remember support staff at my last school spending the summer break clearing out records of pupils who had left years ago. Lots of shredded paper.

Even electronic records aren’t kept forever.

You can but try

I expect schools like this get asked about this more than you might think. It's definitely worth asking them. I imagine they'll be keen to help a former pupil better understand their past.

I was a teacher at the beginning of the 90s.

Statements of Special needs were just beginning.
very few kids with additional needs went to mainstream school. There were far more special schools, and the criteria was very different.
Kids with mild- moderate difficulties woudl today be accommodated in mainstream school, but in those days you would have been ata special school.

So in the 1980s you would not necessarily have had a school assessment like EHCP or statement of needs.

"Medical notes are normally destroyed by age 25 "

What? I thought they were held indefinitely.

My husband was sent to a SEN school in the early 90s for DYSLEXIA!!!
He is 36 now...
Suppose anything can happen...

You’d be surprised what records some schools keep! They can always say no - you have nothing to lose.

I have it takes me nothing just basic recent stuff

Medical records: GP records are in theory kept for life, but many were condensed to a summary record when they were transferred from paper to digital. Hospital records will have a GDPR disposal policy - it varies for type of record but is typically 6 years after the end of treatment/last patient contact.

For a subject access request to a GP, it would be best to email the practice manager or the main practice email rather than your individual GP.

I asked chatgpt for the admissions criteria, and this is what it said.

Thank you I will definitely contact gp. I'm hoping I can do it in writing .

The school will be kind to you, I am older than you and I contacted my school because I lost all of exam certs and wanted to ask which exam boards they would have used (to get replacements). The call took a surprising turn, In that the secretary was delighted to hear from a former student, had a lovely call, they asked all about my life, family etc and said that they wished they would hear from more past students.

Email if not brave enough to call but please be assured by my experience.

I'd imagine it was due to your dyslexia which is a learning disability - not sure there's a mystery here given that

Send an email or a letter to your GP asking for a copy of your medical records from birth. They may wish to verify your identity and then they will send them.

Email the head teacher at Parkside and say you were a pupil there between xxxx and xxxx and you would like to know if they have any school records as you want to know more about your special educational needs as a child. She will let you know if they have any records. You can also ask why kind of moderate learning disabilities they catered for during your time.

Good luck.

Most people in schools are kind. Write to the school saying what you've said here and giving them the rough time period. Ask nicely for their help.
Schools are also crazy busy and so don't expect a reply immediately - give them a few weeks to dig out info if they can do.
Please dm me if you need any help drafting this kind of letter.

Agreed.

I think it's already been adequately explained for the OP, especially with the posters who were teaching in 'special schools' in the 80s for moderate learning difficulties like dyslexia which would now be managed in mainstream.